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Even at the ultra-diverse Emerson College, sophomore
student-athlete Patrick Lowndes stands out more than most people. Whether in class, on the court, or in the
dorms, Lowndes’ charisma is as apparent as his trademark afro. His voice is strong enough to be heard
clearly on the loudest of nights at the dining hall, and it’s usually followed
by his equally booming laugh. But Lowndes’
individuality is not inclusive to his hair or his voice; He’s part of a dying
breed of two-sport college athletes.
When Lowndes first showed up on Emerson’s campus, he was a
freshman invite to preseason tryouts for the men’s soccer team at school. His career got off to a rocky start as Head
Coach Jared Scarpaci felt Lowndes was not in playing shape, and wasn’t shy
about it. Lowndes used his coach’s
criticism as motivation and earned a starting position at right outside back on
the team’s defense. He held onto the
starting spot throughout the season and showed a lot of potential with his
ability to win head balls and play strong defense. After Emerson was eliminated from the GNAC
playoffs by Emmanuel College, Lowndes vowed to be even better the next season,
but had another team to attend to first.
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Lowndes was part of esteemed men’s basketball coach Jim O’Brien’s
first class of freshmen at Emerson College, and he quickly emerged as a quality
role player for the Lions. Like
Scarpaci, O’Brien was hard on Lowndes in his first season, and even forbade him
from shooting three pointers because he felt it was one of his weaknesses. Lowndes found a role in the team’s rotation
as a defensive stopper and fierce rebounder.
He became a starter late in the season and helped the team finish
strong. With Lowndes and other promising
youngsters being supplemented by a full recruiting class from O’Brien, the
future was looking bright for the Lions basketball team.
Growing up in Granby, Connecticut, Lowndes idolized a pair
of older athletes at Granby Memorial High School. He references dual-athlete Mike Clark as his
mentor on “the concept of determination, and wanting to win every single battle,”
and basketball star Jeff Robinson as his role model on the hardwood. Lowndes played soccer, basketball, and
lacrosse in each of his first three years of high school before switching to just
soccer and basketball for his senior year, as well as his one-year prep school stint
at Sheffield Academy.
Looking back, Lowndes wasn’t even sure he wanted to play
basketball until the fifth grade.
“I really owe a lot of it to my grandfather, Ed Lowndes,”
said his grandson. “I wasn’t really
crazy about it until I got to have him as a coach.” None of it would have been possible without
Patrick’s mom, Mary Kate Lowndes, who spent years transporting and supporting
her son to and at soccer, football, basketball, lacrosse, and baseball games. Mrs. Lowndes is also a mainstay in the stands
at Emerson’s soccer and basketball games.
This fall, Lowndes came into soccer preseason in shape and
ready to go. Coach Scarpaci singled him
out in front of the team as an example of “what a difference hard work in the
offseason could do.” Lowndes started the
season at right outside back again, but was moved inside to center back midway
through the year after earning Scarpaci’s trust to play the more cerebral
position. He also began assuming a vocal
leadership role on the team.
“Pat is definitely one of the most passionate players that I
have ever had the privilege to play beside,” said Matt Zani, a freshman
defender who knows firsthand what kind of presence Lowndes provides on the back
line. “He has exceptional leadership
qualities, and drives others to reach their full potential.”
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“His voice holds more weight than most and I think that’s a
tribute to not only his talent but his leadership qualities,” said Alex Pappas,
a sophomore midfielder. Lowndes also
scored his first collegiate goal in Emerson’s GNAC Conference Quarterfinalvictory over St. Joseph’s of Maine. All in
all, it was a season of improvement for Lowndes and Scarpaci said he is hoping
for an even better season from his center back in 2013.
Coach O’Brien definitely saw improvement from Lowndes on the
basketball court in his second season.
Despite missing over a month of preseason workouts due to soccer,
Lowndes worked his tail off to learn the new offensive sets and was named one
of the team’s starting forwards. He went
on to start all 27 of the Lions’ games this past season and continued to be a presence
on the glass and on the defensive end.
Lowndes averaged a team high 2.7 offensive rebounds per game and had
four double-doubles.
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“Coach calls him a bull in a china shop,” said sophomore
guard Mike Lucas. “He knows how to
motivate his teammate which makes him a leader on and off the court.”
O’Brien turned to Lowndes as a leader because the team had
eleven new players from last year, including 9 freshmen. Lowndes was one of the most experienced
players on the team as a sophomore with only a handful of starts under his
belt.
Halfway through his college athletics career, Lowndes has
already played as many seasons (4) as most collegiate athletes do in an entire
career. He is grateful for his
tell-it-like-it-is coaches, and calls them the best he’s played for in each
sport. He relishes being able to play
both soccer and basketball, calling it a privilege to represent his school. As for others, Lowndes says student-athletes
shouldn’t feel pressured to focus on just one sport at the high school or
college level.
“I think one thing that a lot of people sometimes forget
about sports is that they’re supposed to be fun,” said Lowndes. “I’d tell them that at a Division 2 or Division
3 level, you aren’t thinking about making it to the next level, so do what
makes you happy. If you love a sport,
don’t give it up.”
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